Tomorrow Never Knows
by Serene Chaos
Summary: The Black family: 1970 through to 1981; the years of Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sirius Black at Hogwarts and after.


**Author:** Serene Chaos  
**Spoilers:** Throught _Order of the Phoenix_  
**Rating:** PG for now  
**Summary:** The Black family: 1970 through to 1981; the years of Bellatrix, Narcissa and Sirius at Hogwarts and after.  
**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

  
  


**Tomorrow Never Knows  
Prologue  
1 September, 1970**

  
  
Outside, the weather is horrid. Inside the Ministry car, the attitude is equally as horrid for one young boy. He sits on the inside, looking at the rain that cascades down from the heavens as if the clouds are crying. He's thrumming his fingertips against the glass panes, watching the water shake with each contact. With each tapping noise, his anger seems to grow. He doesn't like the fact that he's being forced away from home – no matter where he's being taken too.

"Stop that," his hand is snatched back from the window by the girl closest to him. Bellatrix is the younger, with the long black hair that shares the same glossiness and straightness of Sirius's own. "That's annoying," she informs him, her tone softer now as she releases his hand. She returns her own hands to her lap, where she's playing with the hem of her skirt.

He sighs and reaches into his pocket and pulls out the wand from there. He twirls it between his fingertips, watching the sparks fly from the end. He sneaks a quick glance at the girl beside him, but she's done paying attention to him and is humming a song under her breath, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. On her other side is the only one in the car with hair that isn't dark. Her hair is a light blonde and she isn't paying attention to him either; she has her nose buried in a book. He leans forward slightly to catch a glimpse of the title. Sirius wrinkles his nose as he realizes that it's a guide to help you study for your O.W.Ls. He had forgotten that cousin Narcissa would be taking them this year - that it was her fifth year at Hogwarts. That mean that it was Bellatrix's second year - that was obvious enough to remember, though.

Sirius thinks of his other cousin, the cousin that no one talks about anymore. Andromeda Black had done the equivalent of disowning oneself in the Black family – she had married a Muggle-born by the name of Ted Tonks. Sirius had met Ted the previous summer, simply by accidentally bumping into 'Cousin Andie' in Diagon Alley during his school shopping. Sirius had been dragged away from his mother who shot an icy look at Andromeda and Ted as Sirius had waved.

Outside, the rain continues to pour down as the carriage comes to a stop. Sirius parts from his reminiscing and looks out the window. He hears the driver's side door open and then he sees the driver walk past his window. Sirius surmises that the driver is opening up the boot of the car to retrieve their trunks. A click proves this assumption to be correct. He looks back over at his two cousins and finds that Narcissa has put her book away and is opening the door. She gets out and Bellatrix follows.

"Come on, Sirius," Narcissa calls from outside the car. There's a tone of worry in her voice and Sirius smirks slightly as he notes the fact that his eldest cousin does not look fondly upon getting her school uniform soaked.

Once outside, Sirius pockets his wand and shuts the door behind him. He blinks in the sudden downpour that descends upon his head and shoulders. It's cold and rather a shock to his system.

But before he can be truly soaked, Narcissa pulls him by the sleeve to stand beside her under the awning in front of the station.

Wide-eyed, Sirius turns to look at the street. The Muggle cars are zooming past - some are stopping in front of the station and immediately, his eyes fixate on the people who are climbing out of them, searching for others that might be going to Hogwarts. In the car closest to where they are, a girl with dark red hair scrambles out, looking thoroughly excited. She looks to be around the right age - eleven like Sirius.

"Bellatrix, come out of the rain," Narcissa's tone is stern, like that of the mother who was supposed to accompany them to the train station. But Sirius's mother was ill and Narcissa's - and Bellatrix's - mother was dead.

Bellatrix ignores her sister's command and continues to stand just out of the reach of the awning. Her head is tilted back to look up at the sky and she doesn't even blink as the rain comes close to hitting her in the eyes - eyes the same shade of brilliant blue that the three of them share.

"Here are your trunks, young misses and sir," the man that drove the Ministry car has acquired trolleys for them and loaded their trunks onto it. Narcissa thanks the man and he hops into his car and then leaves.

"Bellatrix," Narcissa tries to forcibly pull her sister out of the rain now. Reluctantly, Bellatrix lowers her head and then heads into the train station, pulling her trolley after her. Narcissa sighs and then follows her.

Sirius turns and looks at Muggle London one last time before hurrying to catch up. 

Inside the station, it is busy as people rush from platform to platform, anxious to catch trains to their chosen destinations. A quick glance at the clock informs him that it's close to eleven and he must hurry to catch up to his cousins, who are a good few metres ahead of him.

A twinge of something must have occurred to Narcissa, for she stops and waits for him. She tells him to run through the barrier and he does. On the other side, he nearly runs into Bellatrix who has pulled off her jumper and has now thrown it on top of her trunk, which a boy is pulling on the train for her.

"Thank you," Bellatrix nods to the boy who smiles in return. From the colours of his jumper, Sirius surmises that he's a Ravenclaw. Unlike his cousin, no one rushes to help Sirius as he pushes his trunk onto the train. It takes a bit of work, but he gets it on there. Only after he begins dragging his trunk down the hall, he realizes that his cousins have disappeared on him.

There's a sharp tug on the floor beneath him, signalling that the rain has started to move. An air of panic flutters in Sirius's stomach as he briefly entertains the thought that Narcissa missed the train. However, that's very unlikely - she's probably up in the prefect's carriage on the train.

"Going to stand there all day?" A voice interrupts Sirius's thoughts and he turns to see who it is.

Another trunk has joined his in the hallway and it's owner is leaning against it. The owner is male, like Sirius and has black hair, hazel eyes, glasses and is wearing a rather cocky expression.

"No, just looking for a compartment to stuff my things into," Sirius replied, picking up the handle on one end of his trunk.

"There's empty ones down that way, I think," the boy says, point down the hallway. He too picks up one handle of his trunk and begins to drag it in that direction. Sirius follows.

"What's your name?" Sirius inquires of the other boy as they find an empty compartment.

After securing his trunk away, the boy helps Sirius with his trunk.

"My name's James Potter," he replies as the two of them sit on the seats - sitting across from each other.

"Sirius Black," Sirius offers. The boy - James - tilts his head to the side, as if trying to process a bit of difficult information.

"Pureblood too, then," James says finally.

"Of course," Sirius nods.

There is silence for a beat, then James speaks up again.

"Do you want to play Exploding Snap?"

By the time the witch with the snack trolley comes around, James and Sirius have played many rounds of Exploding Snap, each punctuated by either boy telling of some anecdote of their lives. Anyone who passes the compartment would probably believe that the two had been friends all their lives.


End file.
